Thank Heavens for Staples (staples.co.uk)

Member Name: merv

Product:	staples.co.uk
Date:	29/12/02 (653 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Extensive Stock, Competetive Prices, Informed and Helpful Staff

Disadvantages: None

11.00am Sunday 29 December 2002.

The all-ticket eagerly awaited local derby between Wrexham and Shrewsbury scheduled for a twelve-noon start is called off because of a waterlogged pitch.

Pity all the poor Shrewsbury supporters who have just arrived at Wrexham station and face a two-hour wait in the pouring rain before the train takes them home.

Pity me even more because my wife has decided this will be the ideal opportunity to visit the sales.

First port of call on what must be the wettest, dampest, most miserable Sunday in living memory is Tesco where I manage to purchase enough half price socks, ties and underwear to last me until I retire.

Then the day brightens up considerably. Thank heavens for Staples. I’ve always liked stationery, in fact I think I’d fit very well into Ricky Gervaise’s Wernham-Hogg set up, for more reasons than one.

And you won’t find a better stationery shop than Staples. It’s a pleasure to walk around and has an incredible variety of goods at very competitive prices and loads of bargains and special offers in this season’s sales.

I always though that Staples was originally a small British retailer, because I can remember in my youth a small stationery shop of the same name, but it is in fact a multi billion dollar retailer of office supplies, furniture and technology originating in Boston, Massachusetts and now a major retailer in the US, UK, Germany, Canada, Netherlands and Portugal.

It opened its first store in April 1993 in Swansea, since that time it has gone from strength to strength and now has a total of 78 stores operating across the whole of England and Wales. It is a very specialist store, providing "the Staples"- from paper, pads and pens to the latest PCs, printers and software - those essential components that everyone needs from small to medium sized businesses, people who work from home, families and school
s.

The stores are always bright, roomy and cheerful; the staff I’ve always found helpful and informative and their prices generally cheaper than direct competitors such as Partners and much cheaper than W H Smiths. They are open seven days a week in convenient locations with lots of free parking.

Where they do score higher than other retailers is in the extent and variety of their stock. For example the range of laptop computers and printers I saw today was much better than that you would see in places like Curry’s and Dixons. I saw a very reasonable spec lap top for under £700 the cheapest I’ve seen in a high street shop, and a Samsung laser printer for an incredible £79.

I was looking for a new printer and the sales assistant I was talking to offered me good advice and was able to tell me about the strengths and weaknesses of particular brands and models as well as the cost of replacement cartridges.

Their price pledge is second to none. Show them a lower price and they'll match it 100% and give you 50% of the difference (up to £25 inc. vat) as a refund up to 14 days after your purchase from Staples.

I came away without the printer but I did stock up on loads of pens for the family from the bargain bin. Typical was the 10 Staedtler gel roller pens I purchased normally £4.98 but reduced to £1.49 and the 3 V-2000, pilot rollerballs for 99p instead of £3.89.
My wife works as a Learning Support Assistant at the local school and stocked up with decent pens and pencils for the pupils she supports who are always leaving their equipment at home – You wouldn’t believe the amount of stuff we came away with for about £15!

I was there for about an hour and a half, ironically the same time I would have been at the match and dare I say it, the £15 I spent was much better value (particularly if ‘the mighty reds’ had lost) and I’m still home in time to see the Arsenal/
Liverpool match on Sky.

Happy New Year to you all.

Merv

Summary: